Companion Drabbles
by Paranoid Seat
Summary: A collection of one hundred word drabbles about the Doctor's companions over the years. Written for the challenge in the LJ comm 'doctorwho100'.
1. 1 to 5

A/N: These are 100-word drabbles I've written about the Doctor's companions - canon and audio (with a couple of exceptions). I'll update with five drabbles every five weeks. I hope you enjoy them!

**1) Fight or Flight**

Prompt: Run (#092)

Companion: Jamie McCrimmon

Timeline: Some time between _The Tomb of the Cybermen_ and _The War Games_.

Spoilers: None

-

"Jamie?"

He's tensed, ready for a fight, heart pounding, adrenalin racing.

"Aye?"

The Doctor's ready to flee the scene, checking all around him with his cunning eyes, evaluating the situation. Jamie knows which of them is likely to get his way, and it won't be him. The Doctor fights with cleverness, not violence, and to run away is always better than to strike a blow.

"When I say run..."

The aliens are huge and bumpy, and not very friendly. He would probably come off worst, even if he'd never admit it. Maybe getting out alive is the best option.

"Run!"

---

**2) Dancing**

Prompt: Chase (#091)

Companion: Jack Harkness

Timeline: A couple of weeks before _The Empty Child_.

Spoilers: Not really, but maybe ever so slightly for _The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances_.

-

"Another?"

"I really shouldn't."

"That's a yes, then?"

The man smiles, a slight quiver betraying his nervousness. He's handsome, charmingly so, and Jack has been trying to buy him a few drinks all week. He seems uncertain, cagey; and Jack knows why. He's from a more primitive time, and this type of encounter is generally frowned upon. If he can get past that, though, this guy seems like the type to flout a few unwritten rules occasionally.

_It's nice to have a challenge,_ thinks Jack, throwing Algy a devilish smile over his whisky, receiving an attractive blush for his efforts.

---

**3) Drawing Blanks**

Prompt: Mind (#028)

Companion: Sarah Jane Smith

Timeline: Any time between _Robot_ and _Terror of the Zygons_.

Spoilers: None

-

"Sarah? Sarah Jane?"

"Come on, old thing, wake up."

Fingers click in front of her face, and she bats them away irritably, her mind fuzzy and half-asleep. Her leg hurts, her head aches, and there is yet another of those customary blank spaces in her memories. She mutters grouchily about being called 'old thing' as she focuses on the familiar scarf-wearing shape in front of her.

The Doctor is crouched there, looking at her with cautious concern; Harry stands behind him with a worried and confused expression, and she wonders what on earth she's been hypnotised to do _this_ time.

---

**4) Second Impression**

Prompt: Heart (#043)

Companion: Harry Sullivan

Timeline: A few years after _The Android Invasion._

Spoilers: None

-

The man on the hospital bed is unconscious and bleeding from a vicious gash on his temple, his blond curls stained dark copper. Dr Sullivan cleans the wound and stitches it up, all the while trying to work out why the man looks so familiar. Harry's sure he'd remember someone like this. He'd definitely remember the coat.

He holds a stethoscope to the man's chest, looking up as the guard admits an anxious-looking redhead with masses of curls; she must've brought the man in. The reassurance dies on his lips as the second heartbeat registers, and he drops the stethoscope.

---

**5) First Sight**

Prompt: Children (#027)

Companions: Mickey Smith

Timeline: Before the Doctor

Spoilers: None

-

The baby has big blue eyes which look at him curiously. Mickey slowly extends one hand and places his finger in the baby's palm; tiny fingers close around it immediately, holding him fast. Her skin is so pale against his, it looks funny. She has such tiny fingernails. He grins at her, and she just stares back.

He's nine and she's almost four, and she runs away laughing when he chases after her. Her big blue-green eyes turn to the sky, and he knows then that he'll never have her. There are no tethers strong enough to hold her down.


	2. 6 to 10

A/N: Next five drabbles. I upped the rating - the eighth one is PG, just to be safe. Hope you enjoy.

**6) Order is Overrated**

Prompt: Chaos (#087)

Companion: Romana I

Timeline: Sometime during the _Key to Time_ series (S16).

Spoilers: None

-

"Doctor, how do you ever manage to find anything in here?"

"Hmm?"

"It's a mess!"

Tangled wires, three screwdrivers, a few circuit-boards, some welding tools, assorted nuts and bolts, countless bits of scribbled-on paper, a hacksaw and several jelly babies later, Romana still hasn't found the positronic relays. At her irritable sigh, the Doctor looks up from K-9's slightly fused circuitry.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" she repeats incredulously, hands on hips. "I can't find anything! Why don't you keep this room tidy?"

The Doctor tuts, smiles that infuriating smile. "A tidy desk is the sign of a tiny mind, Romana."

---

**7) Ephemeral**

Prompt: Red (#016)

Companions: Tegan Jovanka

Timeline: Any time between _Mawdryn Undead _and_ Resurrection of the Daleks_.

Spoilers: None

-

Tegan waits after the rain, head in hands, cross-legged on the hot tarpaulin. Turlough's red head peers cautiously past the TARDIS doors, wary of the scorching sun overhead. The Doctor is completely still, eyes bright and alert with anticipation.

"How long is this going to take?" she asks, turning to him.

"Not long. Ah, there!"

She turns back to see a burst of colour. The flower unfolds as she watches, glorious red; a splash of bright blood on the desert sand, freshly spilt. More beautiful than any flower she's ever seen, but so transient; it has only minutes to live.

---

**8) Helping Hands**

Prompt: Summer (#063)

Companion: Nyssa of Traken

Timeline: Anytime between _Arc of Infinity _and_ Mawdryn Undead._

Spoilers: None

-

Nyssa writhes as Tegan's hands slide slickly over her every curve, biting her lip to keep from making a noise. The hands are soft and so blissfully cool against her heated skin, and they seem to know exactly where they're needed most. She makes a low-pitched sound in her throat, then flushes redder than she already is.

Tegan's smirking affectionately at her reaction, but with an undertone of sympathy. She's probably done this a hundred times, Nyssa thinks, glaring at her.

"It's your own fault you barbecued yourself," Tegan admonishes. "I did tell you to put on some sun block."

---

**9) Turkish Delight**

Prompt: Sunset (#033)

Companion: Evelyn Smythe

Timeline: Anytime between _The Marian Conspiracy _and _Pier Pressure._

Spoilers: None

-

The colours light up the shore, turning the pale sand into glowing embers. Even the Doctor's hair gets the fiery treatment; his curls have turned into a flaming halo. She tries not to smile too obviously as she walks beside him.

He nods towards the colourful skyline, saying intelligently, "Red sky at night, shepherd's de- Is it shepherds? Or is it sailors? I can never remember…"

Evelyn chuckles, shakes her head, gazes out towards the horizon. She has to admit, he was right: there's nothing quite like a stroll along a Mediterranean beach while the late summer sun is setting.

---

**1****0) A New Man**

Prompt: Body (#029)

Companion: Mel Bush

Timeline: After _Time and the Rani._

Spoilers: Only for the fact that Six regenerates, which isn't really a spoiler at all.

-

Well, he's definitely thinner now, thinks Mel, watching the Doctor as he prods buttons excitedly, comparing him to her first Doctor. Shorter, not blond, quieter and less bombastic, certainly. His weight is down, which is a good thing - he had been quite portly in his last body, and no amount of exercise had seemed to counter that. Neither had the diet, and she had begun to despair of ever getting him fit. Now she doesn't have to worry; he appears quite healthy, despite looking a bit older.

She does wish he hadn't had to die, though. She misses him.


	3. 11 to 15

A/N: Maybe 'every five weeks' was a bit ambitious, given my memory and procrastination skills. I'll update when I remember :o) I may get the next five up in the next few days, because I have a blankslate!Martha I would like to get posted before she's Russelled by canonical Martha this weekend. So, next five. These were originally posted in January, so they're mostly kind of season-themed. Christmas and cold weather mainly, with a bit of kitchen-hunting. Still PG for one incidence of bad language (#13). Enjoy.

**11) It Just Wouldn't Be Christmas...**

Prompt: Smell (#036)

Companion: Charlotte (Charley) Pollard

Timeline: Before the Doctor, aged about six.

Spoilers: References to _Chimes of Midnight._

-

Charley cradles her mug in both hands, the heat making her skin tingle pleasantly as it recovers from the cold of the snow outside. The scullery maid smiles fondly at her as she breathes in the scent of the hot chocolate, inhaling the steam and the sweet, spicy smell of chocolate and cinnamon. Edith's hot chocolate is her favourite - Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without Edith's special hot chocolate. No other smell can make her shiver with excitement, make her eyes light up with anticipation in this way, make butterflies in her tummy feel like exciteable snowflakes caught in a breeze.

---

**12) Winter Wonderland**

Prompt: Light (#073)

Companion: Jo Grant

Timeline: Before the Doctor, aged eight.

Spoilers: None

-

Snowflakes fall green, red, gold in the glow from the trees, sprinkling the night air with colour. The trees are bare but for the strings of Christmas lights; it's almost more beautiful than their summer foliage.

Eyes alight with wonder and arms outstretched, Jo spins in circles in the town square, watching the lights blend into whirls and streams of colour, giggling as she staggers to a dizzy halt.

It's Christmas, only her eighth Christmas ever, and she loves the magical feeling in the air, the frosty chill, the wondrous multicoloured lights that turn the town into a sparkling fairyland.

---

**13) Antarctica**

Prompt: Snow (#067)

Companion: Frobisher

Timeline: Hard to say with Frobisher. Some time after the Big Finish audio _The Holy Terror_.

Spoilers: None

-

"What's the matter?" the Doctor asks, an amused smile spreading across his face as he regards his shivering companion. "I would've thought you'd be in your element here. Don't you feel at home?"

He's close to smirking now, the smug bastard. Can't he feel the cold? It's well below freezing, and despite outward appearances, he is _not_ built for this kind of weather!

"Th-this isn't eg-exactly home t-t-territory, D-Doc," he shivers as frozen flakes swirl around him. "I m-m-may l-look like a p-p-p-penguin, but that d-doesn't -" He glares at the Doctor, who's trying not to laugh. "What's s-so f-funny?"

---

**14) Carefree**

Prompt: Winter (#061)

Companion: Dorothy (Ace) McShane

Timeline: Before the Doctor - scene taken from a memory in the Virgin NA _Lucifer Rising _(p62).

Spoilers: None

-

Dorothy slides along the icy ridges, breaking off shards of frozen mud and cracking the surfaces of puddles as she goes. Her school shoes aren't the most ideal footwear for traversing Horsenden Hill in the middle of winter, and she's been told time and again by her mother to take the path, but she doesn't care. She'll do what she likes, no matter what anyone says. Holding her arms out to the sides for balance, she skids down a slope, shrieking and laughing as her feet fly from under her, books going everywhere. She'll be late, but she doesn't care.

---

**15) But When He Got There...**

Prompt: Where? (#078)

Companion: Thomas Hector (Hex) Schofield

Timeline: After the Big Finish audio (from DWM #367) _The Veiled Leopard_, but makes sense without having heard it.

Spoilers: References an offhand comment, but no spoilers.

-

Not that cupboard. Not that one either. Not under the sink. Not on the shelves. Where is it? It's not the same without it, it just isn't.

Hex runs his hands through his hair and sighs in frustration. It's her again, it must be. She said she'd do this, why didn't he take her more seriously?

It's just a prank, he knows that, but it still hits hard. Breakfast is an important part of his morning, and it's just not right without the little orangey bits.

"Ace!" he yells down the corridor from the kitchen. "Where've you hidden the marmalade?"


	4. 16 to 20

A/N: Next lot, as promised. The first three here are linked, and I'd like to point out that I hadn't seen _The Daleks_ before I wrote them, so since Skaro's suposed to be a dead planet, just pretend Ian's imagining the bird noises.

**16) Stubborn**

Prompt: Sound (#037)

Companion: Ian Chesterton

Timeline: At the beginning of _The Daleks_.

Spoilers: None, unless you've been living in a cupboard for the last 43 years.

-

Haunting cries echo across the land, sending shivers down his spine. He fights the urge to look up and gape at what will probably be very odd-looking birds; he doesn't want to give the old man the satisfaction. Even if he's right - and Ian definitely believes now; if the prehistoric cavemen didn't convince him, this does - he doesn't want to let him acknowledge it.

He is on an alien world, listening to the cries of strange birds; just like the old man said. Will they get home soon, or is this something he'll have to get used to?

---

**17) Texture**

Prompt: Touch (#038)

Companion: Barbara Wright

Timeline: At the beginning of _The Daleks_.

Spoilers: None (see above)

-

Barbara sifts the grey sand through her fingers, rubbing a pinch of it between finger and thumb. It's different to Earth sand; it's fine and gritty at the same time, with a slight tackiness to it, as though the particles were threaded together with spider's web. It's very strange indeed, and it both intrigues and frightens her. Suddenly, it hits her for the first time that she's not on Earth. She's on a completely different planet, far from home, with a crotchety old man and his strange granddaughter, lost in time and space. The enormity of it renders her speechless.

---

**18) Watching**

Prompt: Sight (#040)

Companion: Susan Foreman

Timeline: At the beginning of _The Daleks_.

Spoilers: None (see above)

-

The two teachers show very different responses, she notes with interest. Mr Chesterton is trying to keep his eyebrows at a sensible level and appear composed, and Ms Wright is visibly shocked. Susan offers her a reassuring smile, but only the faintest echo of it is returned.

Looking around the barren wasteland, she can see the reason for their reactions. They're only a primitive species, she reminds herself. They've never even left their own planet before, it's no wonder they're having difficulty adjusting. She hopes they'll get used to it in time; there's so much more for them to see.

---

**19) Darkest Before**

Prompt: Sunrise (#032)

Companion: Martha Jones

Timeline: She has no canonical timeline as of yet, so I'd say anytime during series 3. Oh, and I'm going with a version of Martha that I find more interesting than just the generally assumed '21st century London medical student' - blank slate companions are fun!

Spoilers: None

-

"Show me a proper sunrise," she asks of him, and he does. He takes her to 18th century Earth, in the days when the sky flares pink and orange in the mornings, instead of the deep, smoky purples and reds of the only sunrises she's ever seen; the colours warped by an irreversibly poisoned atmosphere.

"I always thought they did this with computers in the old movies," Martha says, mesmerised by the myriad colours.

"Nah. They can do a lot with CGI; monsters, dragons, people - even chickens - but not this. Shame you missed out."

"I'm seeing it now, aren't I?"

---

**20) Uploading**

Prompt: Lightning (#068)

Companion: Adam Mitchell

Timeline: During _The Long Game_.

Spoilers: _The Long Game_.

-

It doesn't look like she's in pain. If anything, she's just nervous, probably because she thinks the Doctor's conducting a 'management inspection'. Cathica acts as though she's done this a thousand times, which she probably has.

Later, when he sits in the chair and the bright light lances down like a bolt of lightning, he finds out it really doesn't hurt at all. Until it all goes wrong. The light starts streaming _out_ of his head instead of in, thoughts and secrets escaping, stolen, gone, and it _hurts_, it burns white hot inside his mind, something's gone wrong, what's happening?


	5. 21 to 25

A/N: Good mix of funny and angsty in this lot, with at least two characters who will be less familiar to most. Sorry about that, but maybe it'll draw a wider audience to the audios and books :o)

**21) End of Days**

Prompt: Autumn (#064)

Companion: Romana II

Timeline: After the Gallifrey series, during the Time War.

Spoilers: General but not major for Gallifrey series 2.

-

Leela once said that regeneration was like autumn trees burning the leaves from their branches, for the green leaves of spring to create a shape that is both new and old. Romana agrees, but it's not something she'll be able to experience again. She has regenerated just once, and that was her seemingly wasteful but ultimately necessary choice.

Now she gives him the order, demands that he save the entire universe, and she waits. She waits for a finality that she has never experienced before, one that means she'll never again see the spring, with all its leaves and colours.

---

**22) Out of the Water**

Prompt: Relief (#060)

Companion: Polly

Timeline: At the end of _The Underwater Menace_.

Spoilers: Some, not major, for the end of _The Underwater Menace_.

-

Taking deep, grateful breaths of the fresh air, Polly thinks she's never been so glad to be outside. But Ben and the Doctor are nowhere in sight. The thought that they might've drowned in Atlantis is too horrible to contemplate, so when Jamie hears someone coming, her heart leaps.

The Doctor jumps out, playfully shouting, "Boo!" She laughs and runs to hug Ben, relief making her giddy. The reunited friends return to the TARDIS in high spirits after yet another near-death adventure, and Polly laughs at the boys teasing each other as they head off into the wide blue yonder.

---

**23) Everyone's a Critic**

Prompt: History (#049)

Companion: Erimem

Timeline: During the Big Finish audio _The Kingmaker_.

Spoilers: The end of _The Kingmaker_; if you've heard it, this'll make sense - if not, then think of this as crack!fic.

-

As Peri explains their boyish appearance to the puzzled villagers, Erimem's attention is caught by a long, loud scream of panicked terror. She turns towards the sound and finds the source quickly; she covers her immediate grin with her hand and tries rather unsuccessfully not to laugh.

William Shakespeare tears through the startled crowd, screaming at the top of his lungs. Hot on his heels is Richard III, yelling angrily and waving the sword belonging to the actor portraying him.

_So this is history_, she thinks, as Peri starts laughing. _It__'__s certainly a lot more bizarre than I ever imagined._

---

**24) Nothing Left**

Prompt: Grieve (#095)

Companion: Perpugilliam (Peri) Brown

Timeline: At the end of the Big Finish audio _The Reaping_.

Spoilers: Major spoilers for the end of _The Reaping_.

-

She doesn't understand, nothing is fair, nothing in her life makes any sense anymore, she just wants to curl up in a corner and cease to exist. Her throat is sore from crying, and sobs shake her body until she can no longer remain standing.

Everyone she had in Baltimore is either dead or gone - she has no family, no friends; she has nothing and no-one anymore. Why had she chosen to stay, why had she told him to leave her here?

A hand on her shoulder, that multicoloured coat... She sobs into his shoulder, and he takes her home.

---

**25) Be Afraid**

Prompt: Fear (#015)

Companion: Bernice Summerfield

Timeline: Between the New Adventures _The Highest Science_ and _The Pit _(after all the possessions, before the Seven Planets incident, and no Ace).

Spoilers: None

-

It's not the first time Bernice has had a gun levelled at her, and it won't be the last. Hands raised to her shoulders, she smiles disarmingly at the Neanderthal-like alien in front of her. It glowers at her threateningly, and she nods her head to one side.

"See that blue box?"

Its eyes dart towards the TARDIS, then back to her. It seems to shrug, but she's not sure.

"That belongs to the Doctor." A wicked grin plays around her mouth.

Moments later, the Doctor sidles nonchalantly up beside her. "Where's that Ogron off to in such a hurry?"


End file.
